Minster Marks Antibiotic Awareness Week, 12-18 November 2012

Today marks the beginning of global
Antibiotic Awareness Week and for the first time in
Australia, doctors, pharmacists, hospitals staff, and
consumers alike will take part in a national program of
activities designed to combat antibiotic resistance.

On Wednesday November 14, the Minister for Health and
Ageing, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, will join NPS
MedicineWise and the Commission for Safety and Quality in
Health Care in Brisbane to mark Antibiotic Awareness Week
and launch new data on Australian consumer attitudes to
antibiotics.

Globally, there is growing concern
that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics is contributing
to the rapid development and spread of bacteria that
antibiotics may not be able to treat. In fact, the World
Health Organization has identified antibiotic resistance as
one of the greatest threats to human health today.

With around 19 million prescriptions written every year,
Australia has one of the highest rates of antibiotic use in
the world. Combating antimicrobial resistance by encouraging
the safe and appropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals and
the community is a key focus for Australian state and
territory governments.

2012 is the first year this
global health initiative has been held as a nationally
coordinated event in Australia. The event, held from 12 -18
November, is also recognised in Canada, the USA and
Europe.

Over the course of this week, Australian
consumers and health professionals will be encouraged to
rethink the way they use or prescribe antibiotics to help
fight the global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In Australia, Antibiotic Awareness Week is
officially supported bythe Australasian Society for
Infectious Diseases, the Australian Society for
Antimicrobials, the Australian Commission for Safety and
Quality in Health Care (The Commission), and by NPS
MedicineWise as part of a five-year campaign to address
antibiotic resistance in Australia.
ends

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